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Friday, December 05, 2014

7 Quick Takes

First and foremost...I prep myself mentally before he EVEN LEAVES. Lets face it...no wife/mom WANTS her husband to leave the country for a whole week! Right? Ok, so it's important to do some things to help yourself and your children cope. The first thing I do is admit he HAS to go... and DON'T try to change it or sulk about it 'cuz that's NOT going to make it any easier on anyone.

Plan a great pre-trip weekend!!! Soak up the time before he departs and really be PRESENT to each other and the children. We were blessed that before this big trip we had our Thanksgiving break, so we got to spend lots of good quality time together before he left. With extra days off work and school it was actually the best time for him to plan this trip. I'm thankful for that!

Pray! Pray for his safety and for a productive trip. Pray for our week and our time together to go smoothly and peacefully. Pray for our health because it's the worst to have sick kids when DH is away-trust me...been there in our 'younger days'.
Just get on your knees and pray your way through the week! Enough said! You can't do 'it' well UNTIL you pray!

Another way I get through the week long travel schedule is I 'take it easy' on the meal plan. After a long day of schooling, carpooling, disciplining, etc...the dinner time hour can seem like the most PAINFUL thing! Sometimes (trying not to be too dramatic), especially with the time change and the night time feeling/looking like it has arrived only to find out the clock tells me otherwise, it seems to DRAG along like a super slow turtle! How do I stay positive and focused and KIND during this time...I don't plan meals that are complicated and I order pizza once during the week. My kids LOVE my cooking. They gobble up the meals I spend more time on and they ask for seconds. I know that one of the things that makes DH most happy and loved is when I spend time making a nice meal for the family. And I LOVE making them feel loved and FULL, but they also don't mind chicken nuggets or leftovers or take out sometimes...so I go to these simpler meals when DH is away to cut myself a little break. And guess what, I don't feel guilty at all about it because being a 'flying solo' is tough work and making a few things a little simpler while he's away...makes me more SANE.

Use your time wisely. I find it especially important when DH is out of town to get some ME time into every day. I'll say, honestly, with a responsible 13 year old and no bitty babies in the house...AND lots of shopping AND STARBUCKS nearby...I can't miss the opportunity. When DH travels for a long period of time I talk to my #1 and work in a trip to the grocery store alone and usually a trip to the coffee shop too. #1 and I have talked about how her help allows mommy the time to herself which is very important in a week that is long and challenging to 'do' without daddy. She understand on her 13 year old level...she's always happy to help out as long as I let her know I'm grateful. She's a 'words of affirmation' kid!

Get RESTED! I do a lot better job getting to bed on time and up on time when DH is in town. He motivates me! But it's even MORE important when he's away for me to get to bed at a good time and up on time. This is one area I really struggle with when he's gone. I find it harder to shut down and rest peacefully. Working on this area.